I started viewing Academy through the lens of a YA show more than a flagship Trek series and that really helped me form a different opinion of it being quite fun. I like that it doesn't take itself seriously like SNW has mastered and I think Ake and her XO are the best parts of the show for sure. The stressed tf out military Chancellor is pretty hilarious too.
My only real concerns, with most of Kurtzman shows, is the inconsistent writing. Some episodes are fantastic, and you can tell there's talent in the writing room like SAM's episode, but I feel like too often a lot of the plots just rely too heavily on who screams the most at each other and odd tangents.
I also just can't really get behind the fact that the Federation would abandon any of its planets, much less a founding member. That being said, having the capital be on Betazed is totally a Federation move I love it. Bringing back the MACOs really feels forced and an illogical choice for the Federation to do as well. I think it could've worked just as easily if they had the rivalry between a more amped up Security and Science/Medical imo.
Despite all that, I'm still very happy to keep watching and enjoying the show. Ultimately I'm kinda glad it takes place in the 32nd century as its kinda a soft version of the alternate Kelvin timeline. I'd really love to see some new post-Dominion War shows imo.